The Blond Admiral
by HypnoLullaby
Summary: Naruto is a small blond boy who was simply trying to survive when an accident with a technique sent him into a world he knows nothing about. Determined to get out of this alive, he gives it his best shot to push through and finds himself in a quite unusual family. With two new brothers and different ambitions, he quickly has to make difficult choices. NarutoxTashigi
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A little blond boy desperately ran through the depths of the great forest he was currently in. His heart was beating faster than if he was in the Academy's Annual Race, and he doubted he could clean all of the sweat that drenched him off with a single bath.

"Naruto! I'm going to beat you so hard that not even the whole medical staff in the Konoha Hospital will be able to save you!"- one of his pursuers shouted in anger. The boy didn't question the determination behind said promise.

It's not like it was the first time for him - no. He had suffered many beatings and evaded many angry individuals in his life. But none of those situations were as grave as this one.

The occasional prank, like the times he had painted the Hokage monument or when he stole and hung all of the Hyuuga clan's underwear on phone cables, was normally well received and got a few laughs out of the villager's mouths.

But this wasn't the occasional prank. He had stolen the Scroll of Seals. The one that was so dangerous that the First Hokage himself had to seal it away.

At first, it seemed great: Steal the scroll, learn a technique and graduate! But after realizing the fact that a whole team of ANBU had been sent to get him dead or alive, Naruto was quickly brought back down to Earth.

Even though most people thought he was just some dumb kid, the truth was actually the opposite. The brat that hosted the Kyuubi had an astounding IQ of 200, which was more than enough form him to know that he had screwed up big time, and was going to be in deep trouble if caught.

He quickly decided over what to do and took a nice corner that would grant him a couple of minutes with no interference.

The plan was simple. It was obvious that Mizuki had set him up and that he could not return, under the risk of losing his own life. So, now that he had that damned artifcat, why not use turn it into an advantage? Surely the "Forbidden Scroll" had at least one technique that could aid in his escape. Or so he hoped.

He unsealed and read through the scroll, his eyes darting from one "banned" technique to another. _Kage Bunshin no jutsu, Kage Shuriken no jutsu, Kage Buyo..._Although they all seemed usefull, they weren't quite what he needed at the time.

"Found him!"

"Nice, we're not letting the fox-brat get away this time!"- the Anbu's voices came to life as they approached. Naruto muttered a swear between gritted teeth, desperately searching for the one technique that could save him.

"Gotcha!"- another ANBU operative declared as he jumped down at Naruto.

"Found one! Hiraishin no jutsu!"- was the blond's response as he disappeared in a yellow flash, without a trace. Several minutes went by as the ANBU searched for any and all clues as to where the boy had run off to.

"Where the hell did he go?"

"Whatever, he left the scroll. Let's go back to Hokage-sama."

…...

Naruto himself had no idea where he was as he opened his eyes to see a beach in a bright, sunny day. He felt badly exhausted, as if all chakra had been sucked from him.

He only had the chance to think about two things before drifting off into unconsciousness: The bearded man that was approaching him, and the description of the Hiraishin technique regarding the use of said technique without a seal marked, specifying a destination.

…...

"Wow, his hair is really yellow! He's like a banana!"- a voice commented, just before Naruto felt a hand shuffle through his scalp.

"Luffy, do you ever stop thinking about food? Jeez."- another boy replied as the jinchuuriki blinked his eyes, regaining vision and sitting up on whatever bed he was lying on. Two dark-haired boys that looked very alike sat on the same bed, curiously eyeing him. They seemed around his age, thirteen years old.

"*Ugh*, Where am I?"- Naruto asked, rubbing his aching head as the door opened, letting the bearded man in.

Whoever he was, this man was nothing short of a collossal being. He was about two times Iruka, both in height and musculature. His tanned skin and several scars both on his arms and face suggested towards a hard-earned life. His eyes were as blue as the sea and his hair as grey as the sky in a winter afternoon.

Although the man was smiling, an aura of power emanated from him, enough to get the two seemingly easy-going boys to straighten up. Naruto didn't question their actions. Something about the man just forced respect and fear from those around him.

He wore a tight, completely black, button-up suit and dark shoes, all of sizes Naruto never expected to see being worn by a human being.

"So you've woken up, huh? I expected you to come back to life in three days, but here you are, looking at me with curiosity mere hours after I picked you up from the beach. You're a strong little bastard, aren't ya?"- the man spoke, making Naruto sweat. Even the voice was imposing!

"He just woke up grandpa! He doesn't even know where he is!"- the smallest of the boys affirmed, receiving a raised eyebrow as an answer.

"Oh really? Boy, we're in Dawn Island, situated in East Blue. What part of the ocean do you live in?"- the man asked. Naruto blinked his eyes rapidly. East Blue? What the hell was that? He tried to remember where he came from, but that too was unclear.

"I...I don't know...What is East Blue?"

That question made all three of the unknown people form perfect "O"s with their mouths, shock and disbelief conjoined in one facial expression. To ask what was East Blue was like asking what's the Sun.

"Ok, do you at least know who you are? Do you know where your parents are, so I can take you to them?"- again, the little boy had no idea. His name was hanging on the tip of his tongue, but it just wouldn't come out. And when he started thinking about the parent part, his whole body sagged. He instinctively knew it.

"I don't know my name...and my parents aren't with me anymore..."- he explained, confusing the two boys, but receiving a sad look from the man who took a couple of moments to think before smiling warmly.

"I see. Well, don't you worry about that. You'll stay with us until we think of something else. Come on, it's time for lunch."- with that, the man turned around, leading them all out of the room.

"FOOD! YEAH!"

"Calm down, Luffy."

As they walked, Naruto was beating himself up mentally. How could he have forgotten so much? Who as he? Where did he come from? East Blue? That didn't even make any sense!

The house obviously didn't belong to the man, since when they walked into the living/dining room, there were about five easily disregarded men and one, big, curly-haired woman.

"Ok Garp, you taking him out now?"- she asked impatiently. The man rubbed the back of his head sheepishly with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Well...he's going to stay here too. Like Luffy and Ace."- the man that was named Garp shot out in a quick sequence. Both Luffy and Ace were preparing themselves for something that Naruto didn't comprehend.

"WHAAAAT? FIRST THAT STUPID LITTLE BLACK-HAIRED KID, THEN THE ONE THAT DOESN'T EVEN WINCE IF I HIT HIM WITH A CLUB AND NOW THIS ONE? YOU'VE GOT TO BE OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND IF YOU THINK I'M GOING TO DO THAT, GARP!"- she yelled, and Naruto too wished to have covered his ears like the other two boys, as he was sure something in his right ear popped.

"I'd like to remind you, Dadan, that I know every single thing about your criminal activities, and I'll lock all of you up if you don't do what I say. You're going to let this kid live her and give him food until I come back for him."- Garp replied with a cold tone on his voice, leaving no room for argument. Dadan kept her mouth open for a couple of minutes, trying to refute but simply gave in.

"With that dealt with, let's go have lunch!"- the man finished, having a frustrated Dadan lead them to the table, where a large metal pan of ramen noodles layed, surrounded by bowls so people could serve themselves. Naruto didn't know what it was, but he was suddenly super happy when he smelled the food.

With no further word, the four of them dug in and ate pretty much all of the ramen themselves, each having several bowls. Dadan was shocked. How could she feed another boy that ate as much as Luffy?

"You eat much too, boy?"- Garp asked with amusement. Eating like an elephant was something normal in his family, that made them all as strong as bulls. Naruto rose his head for a few moments to answer before resuming his attack on the noodles.

"No, it's just that I really like ramen. I remember that much."

"Alright, now that you three ate like pigs, time for training!"- Garp enthusiastically proclaimed, standing up from the chair. Luffy and Ace followed his movements, confident smiles on their faces.

Naruto, curious about whatever it was they were going to do, followed them out of the house.

Dadan's hideout was strategically placed in the middle of the forest, and Naruto doubted someone could find it while just walking around.

"Listen up. Since I want Luffy and Ace to become Marines and you're now living with us, you should know that I insist on daily training."- he said, receiving a shrug from Naruto.

"Sure. What are we going to do? Spar? Lift weights?"- the blond boy asked, receiving giggles from Luffy and ace and a sadistic grin from Garp.

"My training methods are a bit...unorthodox."

…...

_This is what that freak calls unorthodox?_ Naruto asked himself as the cannon he was currently inside turned, having its aim adjusted.

Garp grinned and chuckled to himself as he adjusted the direction of the three cannons, each containing a different kid, and each pointed at a different, dangerous part of the island. Were it any other kid, he'd probably have the common sense not to do this, but he had feeling about that one.

"Don't worry, Naruto! You'll get used to it! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"- Ace shouted out of his cannon as he was shot into the sky.

"I wonder if I can find more food where I'm going."- Luffy commented before suffering the same fate.

"Ready, kid?"- Garp asked.

"Will I ever be?"- Naruto replied, trembling and shaking with fear. The old man laughed and activated the cannon, launching the blond up in the sky and dooming him to a crash course with a snowy mountain.

He fell into a bunch of snow that cushioned his fall, and immediately felt the searing cold travel to his bones. He didn't remember much about the training he had, but he knew that he needed to move if he wanted to stay alive.

A couple of howls caught his attention as he rose. He spotted three snow wolves eyeing him and slowly approaching. _Great._

The smaller two attacked, using hit-and-run tactics, or slash-and-dash, if you prefer. Naruto managed to duck under a leap and grabbed the wolf's waist, turning around and using him as a shield against the other wolf, before throwing him down and punt-kicking his head, knocking it out.

He tried to take a second to rejubilate in triumph, but was quickly punished for it, feeling a burning sensation in his left side. A quick turn of the head determined that the other wolf had closed its jaws around his left torso and remained there, focused on avengin his fallen companion.

Naruto decided he had no choice but to put the wolf in a headlock and after a few moments of struggle, pulled back in a quick jerk, creating the loud snap that signaled the neck being broken.

The body fell to the ground, but the wounds stayed where they were. He looked at the Alpha of the group who was growling at him and getting closer, while he himself felt a lot of pain and cold from the side were his clothes had been ripped apart.

Naruto rose both of his arms and gave off a warcry at the top of his lungs, ready to once again fight for his life.

But as soon as the epic battle was about to start, the earth itself started shaking, and a roar was forming in the distance.

Both of them looked up to see snow cascading down the mountain, forming an avalanche. The wolf whimpered and ran for his life, but Naruto knew that neither of them would be fast enough to evade it, and simply stood were he was. Only two words escaped his mouth.

"Oh shi-"

The snow hit him like a truck, carrying him down the mountain, tumbling and crashing against the ground, but luckily not against a rock or a tree.

Two minutes of loud, ear-exploding sounds and hard, bone-breaking impacts followed before they finally ended in the bottom of the natural marvel. Naruto's body hurt so much and in so many places that he didn't know which to start nursing.

After a bit of rest, he decided to start with digging himself out of the situation, climbing out of the snow just in time to see the wolf staggering away, whimpering. The animal looked back at Naruto and gave off a small growl, as if indicating "this isn't over" before leaving.

Naruto was breathing heavily as he took the time to decompress a bit. He rose his right arm, where the jumpsuit was also torn, and analyzed the surprisingly still alive watch. Only ten minutes had passed since the beginning of the training, and from what he could calculate, it'd take him at least two days to get back to Dadan's hideout.

He muttered a swear, looking at the ground just as he heard another growl. He looked up to see something big and furry coming out of the forest, first on all-fours, and then howling with both its paws in the air.

"A fucking grizzly bear?"- Naruto asked out loud as the animal galloped towards him.

…...

**Four Days Later**

A blond ten year-old came out of the woods and dragged himself into the small clearing where Dadan's house stood, falling right in front of the door and gasping for air. Two laughs came out from above.

Luffy and Ace both stood on the roof, looking down at him with amusement as they remembered the first time Garp had done something like that to them.

"It's good to see you made it out alive. Don't worry, we got here like, three hours ago."- Ace told him, giving him a friendly smile. He liked the guy for some reason. Even though he was covered in claw wounds, bite marks, his clothes were ripped apart and his hair wasn't really blond anymore with all the dirt and dust on it.

"First time I did it, it took me a whole week. It took Ace five days, so you should be proud!"- Luffy followed, a big grin on his face. Both of their had was wet, which probably meant they had to take a shower too.

The two jumped down and helped Naruto stand up.

"Tell me...*cough*...why do you two even care? I came out of *cough* nowhere, into your house and was treated like you even though I'm a stranger. Why are you two helping me?"- he asked. He couldn't understand why, but it wasn't normal for people to like him.

Ace laughed.

"When I was younger, I hated Luffy for that very reason. He just came out of nowhere to my place and acted like he deserved shit even though he didn't do anything. We didn't like eachother much."- he confessed. Luffy nodded in agreement as Ace turned to look at Naruto while supporting him.

"But after many beatings from Garp, many training sessions and many times when we had to go get food on our own, I realized that just as he's got any good thing that I have, he also has the bad parts. We are brothers in suffering and in pleasure. And I guess you're our new brother."

"We've already got grandpa to beat the shit out of us, so why waste time beating each other too?"- Luffy finished with a big, dumb smile on his face. Naruto smiled back as they entered the house.

The next week was spent doing various things, the most common being hunting, sparring with each other or talking about pirates. The two taught Naruto pretty much everything about One Piece, the Pirate King and how they wanted to become pirates. Naruto thought it was all pretty cool, but secretly, he always rooted for the Marines to win in their stories, even though they never did.

They also taught him many fighting moves and pretty much every trick in their book, which was quite a lot. The spars always had the same result at first. Naruto kept losing to both, while Luffy lost to Ace and Ace just didn't lose.

But in the last day of that week, Naruto managed to surpass Luffys' Gomu Gomu no Mi powers and defeat him for the first time. They were shaking hands and complimenting each other when Garp appeared again.

"HAHAHAHAHA! For some reason I just knew that you'd make it out of that forest alive. Come with me. You'll be away from this house for at least a month. There's something I wanna show you. Say goodbye."- were his words. That was textbook Garp, quick and effective.

"See ya, brothers."- he said, shaking the hands of both Luffy and Ace before leaving. The two boys had curious looks on their faces, but quickly disregarded the situation, since when you had someone like Garp as a grandfather, it was pretty hard to be impressed.

…...

A couple of hours later they were on a ship, heading towards G5, Garp said. Whatever that was.

"Well, kid, I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"- he asked. Naruto shrugged, he didn't really care.

"I've done some searching and interrogated some of my most loyal contacts, and nobody knows who you are, where you came from or if you even have a family. I'm sorry."- the man said with a sad expression on his face. Naruto bowed his head for a moment before rising it again.

"If I don't have an identity, that's not really a problem. I'll make a name for myself. What are the good news?"- the blond replied, surprising the old man. _Kid's tough, I'll give him that._

"The good news are, I've gotten you the perfect opportunity to make a name for yourself. I'm sure that Ace and Luffy already told you many great stories about pirates and the like, and you probably want to become a pirate like them, but I'd really like it if you'd reconsider."- Garp said. Naruto rose a questioning eyebrow.

"They probably didn't mention it, but I was and still am pretty big in the Marines. I'm called their Hero, and have cornered the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, many times. That makes people respect me, and I know just what strings to pull to get you a place in the Marines too. I don't fool myself. I know Ace and Luffy will never want to do that, and that's ok, but what about you?"- he asked. Naruto was surprised at first. He knew the old man was powerful, but not that powerful. He shrugged once again and looked into the distance.

"I don't know. I always prefer the Marines in their stories and legends, but they just don't seem as strong or as cool as the pirates. Besides, there's something else that I think wouldn't make me apt to become a Marine."- Naruto replied as Garp laughed.

"I get you, kid. That's because Luffy and Ace only tell the stories they like. Believe me, there's a lot you've got to hear. I can tell you stories about "Light-Speed" Kizaru or "Magma-Fist" Akainu. Hell, even about "Ice-Wall" Kuzan. All great, strong and cool. But what is it that you have that doesn't make you "apt" to become a Marine?"

"I...I don't even know if I should be telling you this, but whatever. In this last week, I've found out something about myself. Be it when I was lost in the forest fighting bears and wolves or when I was sparring with Luffy and Ace, I realized that I like harming people. It just feels good when I kill something or when I hit someone hard enough to make them hurt. A Marine is supposed to protect, not hurt, right?"- he confessed sadly looking into the water as the scorching sun hit his head. Garp laughed again.

"And? You think that I or any of the other Vice Admirals are angels? Every single one of the great Marines had a bit of insanity or sadism in them. Why do you think I managed to hunt down Gol D. Roger so many times? Because I didn't hesitate to do the craziest shit and took pleasure in kicking ass. That's how it goes. I knew about that part of you since the start, kid. That's why I'm taking you to G5. There's something you've got to see there. Now, shut up and listen, I'm going to tell you about that time me and Sengoku..."

…...

The rest of the trip was spent with stories. Naruto had his mouth open in awe most of the times about what the Marines could do. Stories of Kizaru kicking people through buildings, of Sengoku dealing with whole armies at once and of himself battling with Gol D. Roger. And in pretty much all of them, the Marines had a major part and kicked major butt.

But at some point, the stories just died down. To get to G5, Garp said they had to cross the Red Line and enter the New World, a place filled with people as strong as himself and where it rained thunder.

The New World truly was scary, but they didn't look around for long, since the G5 post wasn't very far away from the Red Line.

G5 was a fortress. There wasn't any other word for it. The whole place seemed impossible to take down and Naruto felt sorry for whatever poor sod that tried to infiltrate it.

Garp led him in, every Marine bowing to him or quickly standing up and saluting, without exception. The Marines in that base seemed rather easy-going, but still knew about the legends, or so it seemed.

"This base only has a Captain in charge. I'm taking you to him."- the man explained, leading Naruto through a small maze of hallways and rooms. Many Marines shot questioning looks towards the boy who now wore a dark t-shirt and white trunks that reached his knees, where they were furred. Some even made a few comments about G5 not being Kindergarten, but a quick glare from Garp was enough to shut them up.

They finally arrived at the main office. Garp opened the double-doors and let himself in. A slight mist of smoke had place, even though the windows were visibly open.

In the middle of the room walked around a light blue-green haired man who was smoking two cigars at the same time. He wore a large, thick, white and blue specialist marine jacket with green fur lining the neck, wrists and hem. He also wore brown leather gloves, blue jeans and military brown leather boots.

As they approached, he looked up and smiled, which was an impressive feat with two cigars in his mouth, Naruto thought. Garp laughed as they shook hands, and introduced them as Naruto followed.

"Naruto, this is Captain Smoker, Smoker, this is Naruto, the kid I told you about."- the old man said, as Smoker shook Naruto's hand, a smile on his face.

"So this is the kid you cannoned into a mountain some weeks ago? Tell me kid, how did you get out of that mess?"- Smoker asked. He looked nice, so Naruto just decided to tell the truth.

"There wasn't much to stop me. An avalanche, some wolves, a couple of bears and even one python, but that was it. I was out in four days."- he said, trying to look tough. Smoker was impressed and then laughed.

"I knew it. When Garp came to me talking about a kid that wanted to get in the Marines' ranks, I just knew that you weren't going to be normal. I want you to meet someone. Tashigi! Come here!"

That's when someone that Naruto didn't even notice was there popped up from the back of the office.

Tashigi was a dark-blue haired, dark-brown eyed girl in her teenage years. She wore a red short-sleeved shirt under a blue leather coat with furred collar and edge linings. She also wore blue jeans, black shoes and rectangular red spectacles. She came closer and blushed at the thirteen year old boy that was just as tall as her, if not taller. He didn't look half bad, and that blond, flashy hair gave him a wild touch. She extended her hand for a handshake, but he took it and gave it a kiss, gentleman-style, making her cheeks grow even redder.

"Pleased to meet you."- Naruto said. He wasn't even sure why he said so or why he gave her hand a kiss, but something told him to do so, and it ended well. She nodded, not able to speak much, and so, Smoker quickly took the leader.

"Tashigi, this guy is going to join the Marines, but, as you know, every Marine needs to prove himself to get in. So, he'll be fighting you, a Chief Petty Officer. If he wins, he gets in, if he doesn't, you get promoted. It's a win-win situation. Now do me a favor and take him somewhere and talk or something. I need to talk with Garp."- he explained, receiving an astonished expression from Tashigi before she nodded and dragged Naruto along outside. That's when he turned back to Garp.

"So, do you have _it_?"- Garp asked. Smoker nodded and handed him two little boxes.- "Ok, thank you so much, kid. I'll remember this."

"There's no need for it. It's an honour to help someone like you, but I have something I should ask. About the kid. Didn't you notice-"

"Don't worry. I did. I'm taking him to someone that will help him enhance and control his abilities to use them for a good cause."

"...you don't mean-"

"Yeah. We didn't come so far just for G5. Anyway, thank you again, Smoker. I'm putting in a good word for you. I'm pretty sure you'll be promoted soon."

With that, Garp left, taking Naruto away from a drooling Tashigi, and back into the ship.

"Who are we going to see now, gii-san?"- Naruto asked. Garp laughed.

"I see you've already found out what I was planning. You're smart as a whip. We're going to see someone who will get you stronger in order to serve well in the Marines. Actually, we're going to see several someones. You'll see."

They turned back and headed for the Grand Line. Some days went by, days mostly spent with training personally administered by Garp or spent on stories that fascinated Naruto.

Just as it was getting boring, they reached Enie's Lobby, so it was called. It was a really weird place, with a waterfall below it, and many small islands that defied physics. Garp said it was one of the safest place on Earth.

He took him to a specific place, a large tower with the words "Enies Lobby" displayed on it. It was easily the largest building in all of Enies Lobby.

The old man led him in, taking the elevator to the top floor.

"Now, what and who you're about to see are both a secret. A top secret of the government. I want you to give me my word that you won't say a word about them."- Garp demanded. Naruto gulped and nodded firmly.

That's when the elevator's door opened to show a big room, occupied by exactly six individuals, each of them unique, but all obviously dangerous.

There was a very tall and slim man who had a goatee, wearing a fancy black suit, shoes and top-hat, a tall man with a long, rectangular nose who wore a black cap, jacket, shirt, pants and sneakers, a man with a fu manchu who wore pointed glasses on his forehead, a black tie over his naked torso and an open, black tangzhuang that was white down the middle, a man with black hair styled into two horns, with a black beard and wearing a black, one-piece suit and finally, a blond-haired , blue-eyed, slim woman who wore glasses, a long-sleeved, short black dress over a fishnet shirt and stockings along with black gloves and high-heels.

Even though they were different and some a bit comical, they were all serious and Naruto could feel power emanating from them. Perhaps not as much individually as the power that came from Garp, but definitely intimidating.

Behind them, a slim, lavender-haired man who wore a black leather vest, gloves, matching pants, white shoes and a light-gray shirt grinned, pointing at Naruto and at Garp.

"You are to serve those two until I tell you to stop. You know the drill."- he ordered before going back to his paperwork.

"Thanks, Spandam, I owe you one."- Garp said as the top hat-wearing man gave Naruto a smile and approached, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"So you're the kid we're supposed to train. Pleased to meet you, I'm Rob Lucci. I'll be one of your teachers. Buckle up, this isn't going to be an easy two weeks."

…...

(And there is chapter 1 mates! My first attempt at a cross-over! I hope you all enjoyed reading it, and don't worry, I will update it if it gets any attention, just like any other fic of mine. Now, if there are parts you think I should improve on, don't hesitate to tell me in a Review or a Pm. Thank you, and goodbye!)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"WE'RE ALL HERE TODAY TO WITNESS ONE OF TWO THINGS: THE PROMOTION OF A FELLOW MARINE, OR THE WELCOMING OF A NEW SOLDIER INTO OUR RANKS! GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR TWO FIGHTERS! THE CHIEF PETTY OFFICER, TASHIGI! AND THE ROOKIE, NARUTO!"- Smoker shouted at the top of his lungs as they stood in G5 outpost's atrium.

The middle of it was occupied by the swordswoman, Tashigi, and by Naruto, who were circling each other, while Smoker and Garp stood a bit further away, and the Marines watched from an even "safer" location, but all shouting incentives, thirsty for blood.

Tashigi's face was that of someone undecided. She wanted to be promoted and raise in power, but she didn't want to face someone four years her junior, who was unarmed and did not have much training in hand-to-hand combat. She had joined the Marines for justice, not the opposite.

Naruto's facial expression was different. He didn't want to hurt a woman, but he already knew how to deal with her without harming her, and was rather sure of his own abilities. Granted he was going to need to use everything he learned in those two weeks with the CP9, but he knew that would be enough to deal with the swordswoman.

He was wearing a black tank top and red track pants along with white sneakers. He needed flexible, elastic clothes for what he was about to do. Tashigi was wearing the same outfit, except she was carrying a katana now.

"THIS FIGHT ENDS BY DEATH OR UNCONSCIOUSNESS OF ONE PARTICIPANT. ANYTHING IS ALLOWED. WITHOUT FURTHER ADUE, FIGHT!"- Smoker finished, receiving shouts of approval and carnage from his fellow Marines. Naruto and Tashigi started closing in the circle they were walking on.

"I don't want to hurt you. Please, give up."- Naruto asked her, keeping a straight face. She rose an eyebrow in an expression of disbelief.

"I should be the one asking you that. Face it, Naruto. You're fighting a swordswoman that's older than you, more experienced, trained in hand-to-hand combat and actually armed. Things aren't looking up for you."- she responded, indignated on the inside. This kid was talking to her like that? _**Her**__?_

Naruto shrugged.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."- he finished before dashing at her, no hint of doubt or insecurity on his face. Tashigi kept herself focused and unsheathed her blade, turning it and trying to hit Naruto with the dull side in a vertical slash that the blond easily side-stepped.

He spun in a spinning hook kick that Tashigi ducked and responded with a low "slash" that Naruto jumped over, landed his right foot on the sword's side, locking it in place against the ground, and turned it into a left tornado kick that connected with her head, sending her tumbling a few feet back.

She went through a little trouble, but eventually got a hand on the floor that pushed her, and she managed to stand, glaring at Naruto who now held her sword.

"You're underestimating me. I've fought wolves, bears and snakes with my hands. I know how to handle an enemy with weapons that can slash. I'll give it back, but just this time."- he said before throwing her the sword. The katana went spinning through the air, and a determined Tashigi caught its handle successfully, before dashing at Naruto, who dropped into a relaxed fighting stance.

She tried a dull overhead slash, and spun to turn it into an horizontal cut as Naruto side-stepped it. The blond barely had time to duck under it before she spun and gave him a left side kick, pushing him a bit back, before running straight at him and hitting him with a running bicycle kick on the chest, making him fly back a few feet, crashing to the ground and roll backwards to get back on his feet.

Her sword clicked as she turned it, the sharp side pointed at Naruto, who was now smirking.

"So you're finally getting serious? Alright. You know, you were kind of right. It's impossible for me to face you armed and serious like that, so I have to go all-out too. Forgive me in advance."- he commented, before lowering his head, spreading his legs a bit apart and crouching a bit. A circle of dust was pushed off by an invisible force around him.

Garp couldn't stop smiling. The boy he had decided to adopt as his third grandson was facing off against a strong Chief Petty Officer after only three weeks of training, and already seemed to have the upper hand. He knew exactly what he was going to do, and went back to the time when Lucci told him the plan.

**Flashback**

"_You want us to train him for a bit of time, right? Not just two weeks?"- Rob Lucci asked with Jabra, Kalifa and Blueno by his side as Kaku trained Naruto's legs. Garp nodded._

"_I want him to train with you guys for a while, for about four years if that's possible. But I need you to teach him something relatively strong in these two weeks. Strong enough to deal with a swordswoman."- the old man said. Lucci smiled and nodded._

"_Alright, give me just a second to talk with my colleagues."- he asked, leaving after Garp's nod._

"_Ok, it's obvious that the kid has potential. Fukuro says the kid has a Doriki of a hundred. We can't pass up this opportunity. Hell, I bet he'd become stronger than myself if we trained him."- Rob commented while Blueno nodded in approval._

"_And let's be honest with ourselves. We might be young, but we need to start thinking about the next generation of CP9. If we mentor this kid, he could become the next leader."- the horn-haired man followed, receiving nods from everyone else._

"_Then each of us train him in a different Rokushiki, since each of us specialize in one. But we have to make the kid want to stay with us."- Jabra reminded. Kalifa smirked._

"_That one isn't too hard. He looks like a rational being, so if we teach him one Rokushiki technique that's both useful and strong, he'll come back for more."- she said, receiving a chuckle of disbelief from Jabra._

"_Two weeks? If people could learn Rokushiki in two weeks, hell, if ordinary people could learn Rokushiki at all, don't you think everyone would be doing it? It took each of us months to master even the easiest of them."_

"_Soru."- Blueno calmly said. Rob Lucci rose his head in a smile._

"_But in that time, we mastered Soru. We don't need him to master it just yet. We need him to learn it. And with five masters of Rokushiki teaching him, I'm confident he can at least learn it in two weeks."- Rob finished, receiving nods of approval from his partners. The group then returned to Garp._

"_So? What did you decide?"- the man asked. Lucci smiled._

"_We have planned out how Naruto is going to win the fight, and are willing to train him for those four years, maybe even longer, but we have conditions. Two, to be exact."- the suit-wearing man said. Garp rose an eyebrow._

"_Alright, what are those?"_

"_We need to worry about our descendance. The next generation of CP9, and its strength."- Kalifa explained._

"_Every generation of CP9 has to be more powerful than the last. This boy has potential, and we want him to become the leader of the next generation. So that's one condition. He has to join CP9 and take that responsibility. He can still do something else, like being a Marine or something. I'm a barman. But he has to answer whenever he receives the call of duty."- Blueno concluded that part. Garp nodded, waiting for the second condition._

"_And now for the strength part. Five of our seven fighters have Devil Fruit powers, the strongest four all do, and the strongest three all are Zoan types. In order to be a truly strong leader, he has to ingest a Devil Fruit, since he can't just rely on Rokushiki. Those are our conditions."- Lucci finished, giving Garp a few moments to digest the information. Finally, he nodded_

"_That's alright. I was intending to give him a Devil Fruit as soon as he was nominated Marine, so that's done. The other part wont' be a problem either, but you'll have to talk that out with him, since it's his choice."- Garp extended his hand, a smile on his face. Lucci smiled back and shook his hand, receiving approving nods from his partners._

"_Deal."_

**End Flashback**

"True, I've killed myself in training every day these last two weeks, but it was worth it. I managed to learn this."- the aura around him changed a bit, and a rush of air came as Tashigi dashed for him.

"SORU!"- Naruto proclaimed, vanishing from sight and snatching gasps from everyone in the "audience" and even from Tashigi and Smoker themselves.

His Soru was rather imperfect, since he couldn't vanish for a long time, but it was at blinding speed that he "teleported" from place to place. First from the right, then left, then he even jumped in the air, and began circling Tashigi, creating a dust cloud.

The Chief Petty Officer had her eyes wide, trying to tell where or when Naruto was going to attack, but it was useless. His sillhouette kept appearing here and there, in a totally unpredictable manner. She rose her sword, and that's when the blond took action.

He headed straight for her, and she was fast enough to deflect his straight punch, but not fast to prevent him from escaping. She tried to cleave through what she assumed was him, but her arm was held back by Naruto. His Soru had stopped, and he was now holding her arm in place. She tried a left punch that he blocked with a punch of his own, stopping her fist. Suddenly, he slapped both of her arms up and fell on his back, activating one of his techniques.

"Now to end this. SORU: TOPPU! (Shave: Gust)"- he began spinning with both of his hands on the floor, his legs like a helicopter's blade, as if he was performing an offensive breakdance move.

Tashigi wasn't fast enough or even focused enough to avoid the attack, and it quickly took her off her feet, sending her into the air, as she lost her Katana.

Naruto stopped his rotating handstand and got to his feet, catching the Katana by the holder and watching Tashigi fall on her back, before placing the blade to her throat.

"I win."- were his only words as he took deep breaths. Both of those Rokushiki techniques required an extreme amount of energy to actually use, and he was almost passed out.

There was a moment of silence. Everyone, except Garp and Naruto himself were dumbfounded. Naruto hadn't particularly hurt Tashigi in anyway, but the fact that he toyed with her like that was more than enough to prove himself.

"THE WINNER OF THE MATCH, MONKEY D. NARUTO!"- Smoker shouted, getting approving shouts and hurrays from his fellow Marines as the boy helped Tashigi get up, and handed her her sword.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you."- he apologized, she blushed as he once again kissed her hand.

"You didn't. Congratulations."- was all she said before her cheeks turned redder. Smoker approached the boy and handed him a Marine Head Cap. He put it on and turned the flap back, Ash Ketchum style. His blond hair still managed to sneak its way out of the little hole that was now in the front, and the rest was forced to the sides.

"Welcome to the Marines, boy. I expect great things from you."- Smoker declared before turning around and walking away, letting Garp approach and pull Naruto into a bear hug.

"HAHAHAHAHA! I KNEW YOU'D MAKE ME PROUD SOON ENOUGH, BOY! CONGRATULATIONS! I'LL TAKE YOU TO EAT RAMEN AS A REWARD!"

"RAMEN! YEAH!"

…...

Aside various ramen stops, their trip resumed, as they travelled back to Dadan's home. Naruto didn't know why they were going back. Garp had told him they had to say goodbye to Luffy and Ace, and that the latter had sent a letter saying he was going to depart for his adventure soon, but the blond Marine knew the old man was hiding something.

Four days later, they were walking into the little clearing were Dadan's house was located. Luffy and Ace were there, sparring. Luffy was obviously losing.

"Naruto! You're back! ...Why the fuck are you wearing that cap?"- Ace greeted, his face turning to a frown as he noticed the evidence that proved the blond was now a Marine.

"I wanted to be a Marine, and now I am. You're still my brother, just like Luffy, but I'm just taking a different route than you and him."- Naruto responded, shaking Luffy's hand, followed by Ace, who just smiled.

"Fine, but don't cry when I kick your ass if you come after my crew."

The two laughed and shaked hands again, before Garp came closer.

"Ace, I read your letter. Are you really determined to go away and become a pirate?"- he asked, receiving a nod from the young man.

"Yes. I'm sorry, grandpa, and thank you for everything you've done for me, but this is who I am, and I just wouldn't feel like myself as a Marine. I hope you're ok with my choice."- Ace confessed. Garp nodded, with a sad smile on his face.

"That's ok. If that's who you are, I've got no say in it. But before you go, I want to see your strength. I want you to have a one-on-one fight with Naruto. A noobie Marine against a noobie Pirate. Start!"- the man ordered. Ace was astonished for a bit, but a confident smile found its way to his face as he eyed Naruto.

"We all know how this is going to end. You're good, Naruto, but you can't beat me."

"Strange. That's exactly what the swordswoman I beat to become a Marine said before our fight started."

Ace dashed for Naruto. That was exactly his fighting style, go in and just don't let go. You could dodge and block all you wanted, but eventually one or two strikes would get inside your defenses. But after CP9's lessons, Naruto knew exactly how to counterattack this. He had to attack first.

"Soru!"- Naruto disappeared, making Ace stop and gasp as he gave him a rough punch to the gut, followed by a spinning left side kick that sent his "brother" flying against the house's wall.

"Your strategy is far too easy to figure out. All I have to do to counter it is throw the first punch, and I win. Which won't be hard, with my newly acquired speed."- the boy said before smirking. Ace was still trying to comprehend what had just happened when he used the Rokushiki technique again, vanishing from sight and reappearing in front of Gol D Roger's son.

Now, Ace was battle-hardened. After many fights with bears, wolves, snakes, monkeys, scorpions and other dangerous beings, his various skills had sharpened. That included his reflexes.

But nothing, no epic face-off against any dangerous animals could prepare him for the faster-than-a-viper punch that went flying against his chest, making him cringe before being swung over Naruto's hip and hitting the ground in a judo technique.

While on the ground, Ace tried to fight back with a flurry of punches, all easily deflected or dodged by the crouching Naruto.

"Dude, I've fought a reasonably experienced swordswoman unarmed. Do you really think I can't deal with these punches? I know you've got all of that power, but it doesn't make sense if you never hit!"- those words hit the button as Ace shouted in anger, shooting punches like mad. Naruto smirked, as it took him back to when he trained with the CP9.

**Flashback**

"_Ok, kid. Since you've agreed to the conditions, we can get to your training. We will teach you and help you master your Rokushiki abilities in these next four years, but right now we have to worry about your upcoming battle."- Jabra told him. He nodded._

"_We could teach you phenomenal strength, how to pierce bodies with only your fingers or even how to create blades of wind with your legs, but all of those are too complex for you to learn in two weeks. So, we've decided on working with your speed."- Blueno followed, making Naruto raise an eyebrow._

"_Allow me to demonstrate. SORU!"- Kalifa readied herself and vanished from sight, reappearing on the other side of the room in mere seconds. Naruto had his mouth open._

"_Soru allows us to become so fast that we vanish. Now, we decided to teach you this technique because it is not too complex and because with it, you can do many-a-thing. With that speed, one punch will become a car, and you'll be able to dodge anything you want. That's what we're going to work on. Understand?"- Lucci explained. Naruto nodded, still with his mouth forming a perfect "o"._

**End Flashback**

Dodging kicks and punches from Jabra, Blueno, Kalifa, Kaku and Lucci had made it so that Ace's attacks looked as slow as a tortoise.

He was about to deliver the last merciful punch when Garp closed his hand around his shoulder.

"That's enough. You won."- he said, a smile on his face. Ace was not particularly hurt, but his face was still one of shock.

"That's the power of a Marine, Ace."- Naruto said, helping the teenager to his feet. Ace took a couple more seconds to get his bearings, before simply smiling. He didn't ask where Naruto got that kind of power, or how the hell he did, but simply smiled.

"I see I still have a long way to go, thanks for reminding me that, brother."- he said as they shook hands. Garp smiled once more before digging inside his jacket's pockets and taking out two hand-sized, black wooden boxes.

"Ace. You're my grandson, and you're going to become a pirate. That's fine. I accept that, just as long as you stay safe and actually make a name for yourself. But, if you ever travel into the Grand Line or the New World, any power you can achieve physically will not be enough. You're going to need a little extra juice. And that's why I'm giving you this."- he extended his left hand, handing Ace one of the boxes.

The wannabe pirate held the box in front of him and opened it. There was a strange fruit in there. It was round and made up of many flame-shaped components with a swirl pattern on each of them. It was a mix between red and yellow.

"That, is the Mera-Mera no mi. It's a Logia type Devil Fruit that allows you to become, create and use fire at will. It was found months ago in a sunken ship, and we did not have any idea what to do with it. I managed to pull a few strings and get it for you. But think well. One bite, and you can never swim again."

Ace stared at the demonic thing for a couple of seconds before a determined look came to his face. He took hold of the Fruit and bit down on it.

The box was immediately dropped to the floor as he tried to cough the Devil Fruit out. He couldn't, however. He was forced to swallow before dropping to his knees.

"GOD, THAT TASTES LIKE CRAP!"- he yelled, before feeling something surging through his spine. He felt a power coming from somewhere around his stomach and into his arms, and suddenly, his hands were covered in fire.

"It will take some time to get used to that thing, so try not to burn anything down."- Garp said, helping Ace to his feet again. The boy managed to turn the fire off and clutched the man in a hug.

"Thanks grandfather, I'll try not to let you down."

"You better. Now let me go. There's something else to do."

Ace embarassedly let his grandfather out of the death clutch, and the old man approached Naruto with the other box in hand.

"And this one's for you. You've made me proud by beating Tashigi, becoming a Marine and learning Soru in such little time. A Marine's job is dangerous, I know that much, and many of my friends could be alive today if I had had the power of a Devil Fruit. Therefore, I want to give this one to you, so you live with no regrets."

Naruto's eyes were shining with awe and excitement. He religiously held the box and opened it, to see something that resembled a disco ball. It was a perfect circle made up of metallic squares that reflected any light that touched them. The blond thought for a moment before taking a bite out of it and swallowing it before he could even taste it. That didn't work though, as his taste buds still sent electrical signals of shit to his brain.

He coughed and coughed but nothing came out, and left the box and the rest of the fruit fall to the floor as he fell to his knees, much like Ace. And, like Ace, a sudden surge of power went through his spine and to his hands.

But instead of the bright flames, several metallic spikes came out of his hands, then went back in and came out as blades, going back in and coming out again as guns, and going back in again, staying there.

"That's the Tetsu-Tetsu no mi. It's also a Logia type Devil Fruit, that allows you to become, create and use metal and iron as you wish. It was found in the New World by Smoker, and he gave me a call knowing I'd probably have a use for it. It's not easy to control, but with imagination, you can make a fine use out of it."

Naruto was still looking at this hands, but quickly stood up, hugged and thanked Garp.

"What about me, grandpa?"- Luffy asked by the side. The old man laughed and turned to him.

"I'd probably have a third fruit right now to give you, if you hadn't been stupid enough to eat one by yourself years ago! I just gave them those to even out the odds."- he said. Luffy shrugged and kept eating his chicken leg.

"Now, I'm separating you three for four years. Every single one of you, do as you please, but keep training, for one day you'll face each other in battle. Luffy, when you turn seventeen, in exactly four years, you have my permission to start your journey. Ace, you're going to start yours now, and Naruto, you're going to train with both G5 and CP9 for four years. After that, you may also start your journey. Are we all clear?"

"YES, SIR!"

(And that was Chapter 2, mates. I hope I did not disappoint and managed to answer a few of your questions on this chapter. If not feel free to ask with a PM or Review. As always, Favorite/Follow and I'll see you next time.)


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Two Months After Departure**

Monkey D. Naruto's life was something rather busy from then on. He literally did not have time to be bored. Either if he was training with CP9, on missions or the Marines or just eating and sleeping to shrug off his exhaustion, his schedule was always full.

For starters, his CP9 training didn't stick to laps around the city or pushups. It was as straining physically as it was mentally. Six hours a day he would be sparring against the members, which meant being kicked around like a ragdoll by Kaku, stabbed repeatedly by Kalifa's fingers, hitting Jabra's steel-like skin, trying to keep up with Blueno's speed and wind blade kicks , or, if he was unlucky, he'd spend that time with Lucci.

Rob Lucci was not the leader of CP9 or the first man to have a Doriki of four thousand for nothing. His training was harsh, to say the least. And that came from someone who had been trained by Monkey D. Garp.

The suited man's training regime was composed of starting with several laps around Enie's Lobby, followed by doing pushups with Kalifa sitting on Naruto's back, adding more weights on top of her every day. Next was situps while Kaku attempted to kick the blond's head every time he rose, so he had to do them fast enough to dodge. To end all of that, he had to fight Blueno, Jabra, Kalifa and Kaku at the same time while using weights tied to his legs. Needless to say, he always lost.

Then he was given one hour to eat and relax before his mental training started. Kaku taught him Espionage and Stealth, Blueno taught him Geography and Navigation, Kalifa taught him Assassination and Weapons, and Lucci taught him Battle Tactics and Rokushiki. Of course, each of them helped Naruto with their specializations, but Lucci taught him the mechanisms behind these Ultimate Martial Arts.

When those six hours were over, he still had another hour of pain resistance and endurance teaching from Jabra. Which also meant he got thrashed all over the place.

After that, one hour for dinner, one hour to relax, and lights out. He was pretty beat, and he couldn't remember a time in his life when his body didn't hurt all over.

But he had to admit, all of this hard work was giving results. His ever-increasing muscles and the fact that he had now created two more variations for Soru and learned, though not mastered, Geppo just two months later was something he was really proud of.

Besides all that, every weekend was spent in G5. Smoker taught him about how to lead in the Marines and lots of strategies for battles, while still helping him master a Logia type Fruit.

Tashigi was also there, and even though she tried to spend time with him by teaching him, there wasn't a lot that she could teach, so they just ended up spending their two hours a week together talking about each other's training and hobbies.

He didn't get why she always blushed when he was close, or why she seemed to not be able to say anything for the first half an hour, or even why every time they separated she said she wanted to tell him something, but then just disregarded it as nothing. It was confusing, but he let it be, he had too many things to worry about already.

**Five Months After Departure**

"Naruto, I know that the morning training is done, but I need to talk to you. Could you have lunch with me?"- the suit-wearing man asked him, making him raise an eyebrow and come closer.

"Sure, but what happened sir? Did I mess up in training? I'm trying my best!"- Naruto quickly asked, making Lucci laugh and wave him off.

"No, no! Your training is going perfectly well. Hell, it's going better than that, and I'm proud of you, but come on, we'll talk it over as we eat. I'm taking you for ramen."

CP9's leader took Naruto to a small restaurant in Enie's Lobby's interior parts, where they both ordered a few bowls of ramen in order to regain strength.

"Now, I've seen that you've mastered Soru completely and have managed to learn Rankyaku. That's great, and now I can finally send you on a mission that you were supposed to go on long ago."- Naruto rose his right eyebrow again. His outfit had slightly changed, and he now wore a white, Marine hooded, open jacket whose hood was always pulled up, making his hair spike down. His shorts remained the same and his tank top was now red.

"Have you ever heard of the Shichibukai?"

"An organization of seven pirates at the service of the World Government in exchange for not being hunted down like dogs, right?"- he responded, dragging a smile to Lucci's face.

"Precisely. Now tell me, would you trust any of these seven individuals?"- the man asked as Naruto shrugged.

"It always depends on the person, but I'd be checking my back around them by default. Frankly, I don't know what the government had in mind when they created such an organization."- he confessed. Lucci gave him a pensive look as he drank a bit out of his glass of wine.

"You have to take a look from their perspective. Seven powerful pirates, not doing much damage and that can be used to attack other powerful pirates in exchange for letting them have small criminal businesses? What a steal?"- he said, Naruto shook his head.

"But how would that help? If you can't even leave them alone for ten seconds without fearing a knife in the back?"- the blond asked, making Lucci smile again in pride.

"You got exactly where I wanted you to get. One of the conditions to become a Shichibukai is to submit to close inspection by a Marine of at least Chief Petty Officer rank every month. A week ago, I received a letter from newly named Commodore Smoker, asking you to go as soon as you were ready. The Shichibukai's locations are included."

"But I'm a mere Seaman Recruit!"- Naruto argued. Lucci handed him a small metal arrow to put on his hooded Marine jacket's left chest.

"Congratulations, you've just been promoted."

…...

**Shichibukai Examination Small Arc **(An arc created by me to get a few people into Naruto's crew. I'll try not to make it boring)

"Commodore Smoker, are you sure Naruto-kun is able to impose himself and hold his ground against the Shichibukai?"- Tashigi asked, worry obviously present in her voice as she stood in the Commodore's Strategy room. Smoker laughed with both of his cigars still in his mouth.

" "Naruto-kun"? You really do have a crush on him, don't you?"- he replied making the woman blush.

"Please, sir! I'm serious!"

"Jeez, Tashigi, it's Naruto who we're talking about here. Sure, he's young, but he learned something like Soru in two weeks! Lucci told me he's learned Geppo and Rankyaku as well. Besides, so far, every time I went to check on those seven, everything went well! There's no reason to think something will go wrong now."

"I hope you're right, sir. I really do."- her head stayed down,, and Smoker decided to try something else.

"Listen, I'll make you a deal. If you stop worrying and focus on our current mission, I promise I'll get you a date with him as soon as he comes back."- he suggested making her blush again.

"You can't do that, sir."- she replied. Smoker laughed.

"I'm his boss. I can make him do the Funky Chicken if I feel like it."

...

**Naruto's POV**

Monkey D. Naruto sneezed as he made the small jetboat turn slightly. He wasn't cold, so he just disregarded it as someone talking about him.

He was currently headed for Amazon Lily, and although small, the vehicle was sure to arrive in the next couple of minutes.

Boa Hancock was the first Shichibukai on his list, and definitely one of the most fearsome. He wasn't nervous about talking to "The Viper" whose beauty was said to be legendary, that was for sure. However, he was nervous about the special assignment Lucci had left on the letter handed to the blond.

_Since this is going to take a whole week, neither the CP9 nor the G5 can train you. That doesn't mean you can slack off. I want you to challenge every single one of the Shichibukai for an all-out spar. Smoker has already agreed to this. He thinks it'll give you a taste of how strong a realy pirate is. I do not expect you to win in any of these spars since they are all rather capable fighters, but if you do manage to beat any of them, I, Kalifa, Blueno, Kaku and Jabra have a gift for you. Anyway, Good Luck. Lucci._

He didn't have time to research Boa Hancock before leaving, but if she was in the Shichibukai and the Empress of the Kuja, she was no normal woman.

The little boat finally stuck land, and Naruto quickly made an iron stake out of his hand, made a knot around it, tying the rope to the boat and pinning it to the shore, sitcking the stake deep in the sand.

The only female Shichibukai had been warned of his coming by Smoker himself, and had sent two to escort him through tropical forest, down the valley and into the city.

The Kuja were all women, Naruto knew that much, so he didn't find it strange that two women holding a sword and one holding a bow made out of a snake came out of the trees surrounding the beach to meet him, even though they were both amazingly pretty, one being blond and the other ginger brown-haired, and even though the ginger one was twice his own size.

He did find weird how they were eyeing him curiously. Then he remembered what Smoker had told him.

"_I've always settled things with Boa Hancock in different locations. This is the first time she let a man into Amazon Lily. After she knew Monkey D. Naruto was coming, she insisted for you to come into the island for whatever reason. The other Kuja women aside her and her sisters normally have never seen a man."_

"My name is Monkey D. Naruto, I'm the one the Marines sent. It's a pleasure to meet you two."- he greeted them, making both of their curious faces blush as they examined him closely. The tallest one spoke.

"My name is Aphelandra."

"My name is Marguerite. We were sent to escort you. Follow us, please."

…...

Although he was supposed to be following them, they were the ones who stayed behind, trying to take a good look at every single inch of his body, signaling when to go to the right or left.

The path wasn't too dangerous, except for the occasional snake. Of course, one gesture from one of the Kuja was all it took to keep those beings at bay, but when giant boar came, that was another matter.

Of course, it wasn't a dangerous matter, since Naruto quickly knocked them out or killed them with blades or fists that he created out of the metal in the soil and threw at them, much to the women's interest. They probably considered men to be useless beings.

"He's a Gorgon too...the first Gorgon man..."- they whispered, though Naruto didn't really get what that was supposed to mean.

The trip didn't take long and soon enough they were walking through the village/city's doors. Ninety percent of the women that they saw on the street would run over, poking Naruto, like curious children in zoos.

"He's a man. Boa Hancock has requested his presence here, let him be."- Marguerite said, and the women gave him his personal space, though still watching him closely.

Suddenly a whistle was heard as an arrow came flying at Naruto, pointed edge flashing and ready to draw out blood.

"KIKYO, DON'T!"- Aphelandra warned, but it was too late. The arrow hit Naruto's raised left arm and exploded.

Surprisingly, though, no cry of pain or bits of human flew, and as the explosion's smoke cloud dissipated, it was visible that Naruto was still there, his left side together with his left arm all steel-gray.

"Kikyo, he's the first Gorgon man! He can make steel!"- Marguerite followed, shocking the woman who just dropped her snake bow.

If the women were interested in him before, now they just formed a human sea around him, touching him all over. Aphelandra and Marguerite looked at him embarrassedly, since they were supposed to protect him. He looked at them with disconfort in his eyes.

"Please, take me to Boa Hancock as soon as possible."- he begged, and they nodded, quickly jogging away and leading him to the palace.

As they reached the palace's entrance, the two guards stopped and shook their heads when Naruto asked them to lead him.

"We're not going further. Take the corridor at the left and it's the last room. Good luck, man."

The blond wondered as to why they wished him luck, but quickly disregarded it as he spotted Boa's room. This was it. One of the Shichibukai was just a few metres away, and he was feeling nervous. But he ultimately decided that talking with the most beautiful woman in the world was better than returning as a coward and having the shit kicked out of him by both Lucci and Smoker.

He turned the door knobs of the double doors and pushed them open to see a sight that any man in the planet would kill to have.

Boa Hancock, the Gorgon Empress and one of the Shichibukai sat naked on a chair facing the door.

Her curvy, luscious body, her fair, creamy skin, her perky, big breasts combined with her facial expression of outrage were enough for Naruto to realize he had screwed up big time.

"Maybe I should leave..."- he suggested before turning around and watching the double doors slam closed, gigantic snakes on them and threatening whoever tried to leave.

"Ok, maybe not...Do you want me to turn around and close my eyes as you dress, Miss?"- he asked, keeping a straight face. She let out a frustrated sigh that Naruto did not understand and waved him off.

"No need. You've already seen me naked anyway."- she replied with a sweet voice, throwing on a light red dress as a snake helped her put it on before walking up to Naruto and extending a hand that he kissed.

But upon contact, she felt something different than anything else she had felt from a man. It was as if he was different, as if he had something others didn't have, as if he was not from this world. She snapped out of her trance when he cleared his throat and formally introduced himself.

"Chief Petty Officer Monkey D. Naruto as requested. I don't want to break your people's rules for too long, so if you'd like to start..."- he said, making her blink her eyes in surprise before gesturing with her hands. The snakes backed off, allowing the doors to open.

"You've done your homework on my people's traditions, huh?"- she asked, leading him out of the room. He shrugged and smiled.

"Well, I don't really remember where I'm from, but I'm sure someone there told me that when in Rome, do as the Romans do. It's polite, I guess."- the blond responded, surprising her again. Normally, whatever Marines were sent were either amazingly vulgar and blunt or simply formal like Smoker.

"I see. You seem to be a cut above the normal grunts that your kind sends. Why did you choose to be a Marine? Also, where do you want me to take you?"- she asked. She was trying hard to keep her superior posture. She was a Shichibukai and an Empress after all, but it was difficult, for the boy was different than any other man she knew. He wasn't repulsive.

"Just give me a tour around the city, really. I decided to become a Marine because there was nothing else I could really do aside becoming a pirate. And I thought that using my combat skills for the greater good would be beter than to use them to pillage and rape. I detest both."- they walked out of the palace, immediately being surrounded by women. The Kuja were smart enough to give Hancock her personals pace, but still stood close.

"Your logic is flawed. Fighting for the Greater Good with a bunch of old men that believe in Absolute Justice and a bunch of young men thinking that the only way to be manly is firing firearms, drinking beer and having sexual intercourse with women? Even the women that do manage to join your organization end up having inferiority complexes. You try to change the world with a group of corrupts, idiots and weaklings."- was her response as they walked towards the market.

"Well, I guess our philosophy is different even though I do agree you in some ways. That's why I'm in the Marines. I'm going to change things. Besides, I'm not even going to have regular Marines in my crew. I'm going to get just a few people that I can trust. I know you're a Shichibukai and someone with a lot more experience than I, but you should know that generalization is common to ignorants or traumatic people."

This shook her more than a straight punch while using Soru ever could. Someone, a man at that, contested her opinion? Someone **dared** oppose her, even if in ideology? She shrugged it off, trying to act as if nothing happened as to not show weakness, even though she was in revolt deep within her.

"It doesn't matter if a person is a man or a woman, it doesn't matter if they're black or white, weak or strong or what Devil Fruit they use if they use one at all. What matters is what they choose to do with the gift of life. Sure, there are some assholes, but there are also people that are worthwhile. I try to be one of those."- he finished, and suddenly, she felt it again. The same thing she had felt when he kissed her hand hit her, only this time stronger. He was certainly no common person.

"Alright, then tell me something else. What is your definition of a man? I'm dying to know."- she asked, making him blink in surprise but quickly shrug.

"A man, at least in my dictionary, is someone who takes responsibility for his actions. Someone who follows a set of rules. Someone who struggles to achieve his goals the right way. Someone who protects what's dear to him in any possible way. You don't need to hold a firearm, drink beer or conquer the hearts of thousands of women for that. You only need to be right. To act right."

From that point on, Boa Hancock did not even notice where she was guiding him or what they were talking about. Anything that he said, she just drank down. She wasn't completely engulfed in him, but she was definitely interested. She had never met a man like him.

Naruto noticed she seemed a little off, and took that opportunity to analyze and process ever piece of information he got from the scenery, trying to spot any sign of criminal activity. Fortunately, he was unsuccessful.

…...

**Two Hours Later**

Everything was done and said. Naruto had inspected every nook and cranny, although discretely, and found nothing. The women had followed them throughout that time, even though he and Boa Hancock only conversed with each other.

"Alright, my duties are done. It was a pleasure speaking with you, your Highness, and I hope I have broadened your horizons on my gender, even if just a bit. Now, I must go."- he declared, noticing a small hint of disappointment and sadness on her face.

"But, before I leave your island, my training requires something else. Fighting for the Greater Good isn't something you can do just like that. You need strength to back it up. I won't be able to do it all by myself, and I won't attract any crewmates if I'm weak. So, as a means to test my strength and develop it at the same time, I was told to challenge you and every other Shichibukai to a spar. It ends when one of us has a certified killing blow on the other. What do you say?"

The women around them gasped, looking at him as if he was a mad man.

"He...he challenged the Empress..."

"He's mad! All men are mad! Boa Hancock is the most beautiful of them all!"

Naruto did hear all of the observations made by the Kuja, but his brain quickly slapped them aside as it worked overtime. He had done it. He had challenged a Shichibukai and now he was going to feel a world of pain.

Boa Hancock seemed shocked again. No man would ever fight her. She was too beautiful. All they challenged her for was a couple of crappy dates. But as her own brain worked overtime, she ultimately decided to accept, since she probably wouldn't have such an opportunity in the near future.

"Alright. I, Boa Hancock, Empress of Amazon Lily and the Kuja, accept your challenge. Follow me to the Battle Ring. But I do hope you know what you're doing."- she replied, as Naruto silently gulped.

_I hope so too._ He thought to himself. The woman led him to a wide area that was limited by a red fence with stands around, making the Battle Ring. They entered the arena, leaving the women out, who quickly but surely filled the stands.

"I'm ready."- Boa declared, standing on one leg like a flamingo. Naruto nodded and got himself ready.

He pulled his jacket's white leather hood back, revealing his flashy blond hair, which immediately spiked up despite being held down for most of the day. After a moment's thought, he took the jacket off as a whole, followed by the thank top. God, Amazon Lily was hot.

When he was finally just wearing his white sneakers and shorts, he gave himself an approving nod.

"I'm ready too. Please don't go easy on me."

He went at her with his normal speed, trying to evaluate just how strong she was. When he was reasonably close, he threw a weak left punch that was easily, almost playfully dodged by the Empress, as she sidestepped and retributed with a left knee that went at impressive high speeds and strength.

Naruto managed to turn his midsection into steel before it hit him, but even then, it hurt enough to take the breath out of him and send him sliding through the floor, still standing, until he stopped at the edge of the Ring.

"Gorgon man is strong, but there is no fighting against the Empress. She's the most beautiful being in the world."- one of the Kuja proclaimed behind him. He shrugged.

"There's a first time for everything."

_Ok, so now I know she's as strong as the Hulk, fast and graceful as a crane and ruthless in punishing as Lucci. To beat her, I can't give her the time to dodge._ He thought to himself. Hancock sighed.

"Monkey D. Naruto, you speak of a better world and changing how things work yet this is your best? I know it isnt! Prove to me why you're right and we're wrong. Show me why I should follow you! Show me that not all men are adulterate swines! I demand it! Or I shall EXECUTE you!"

Shouts of approval came from the Kuja as Naruto sweatdropped. _That was no idle threat. But oh well, I'm done analyzing her, might as well just go all out._ He thought to himself as the air shifted and spilled around his body.

"Fine. But you asked for it. I'm not going to hold back. SORU!"- he responded, vanishing from sight, dragging a few gasps out of the Kuja women and surprising Boa herself.

His Soru was now mastered and well matured, which meant he was invisible to anyone but Boa Hancock herself, who also had a whole lot of trouble spotting him.

But if he wanted to survive, he knew he couldn't have her being full aware of anything during the fight. His Devil Fruit's versatility and unpredictability were what made it so dangerous, and he was going to have those characteristics in any other of his combat traits.

He kept zigzagging, appearing in different places or completely disappearing for short moments of time.

It came to a time when he simply ran around her in one constant circle, creating a huge tornado of dust, setting himself up for the big hit.

"I don't like to be kept waiting."- the Empress declared. Naruto smirked.

"Suit yourself."

Out of nowhere, he appeared below her in a handstand, both legs flexed and pointing at her chin. Her eyes widened as he pushed off the floor with impressive speed and strength, his legs already kicking.

The Empress managed to block the attack, but it was too much force to simply be absorbed like that by someone who wasn't used to getting hit.

She flew up, seeing Naruto smirking and knowing what was to come.

"Geppo."

He vanished and appeared high up in the air, right beside her. She tried a straight right punch, but he wasn't there anymore. A small cloud appeared as he...as he stepped on the air and jumped over her, grabbing the back of her dress and pulling her over him, throwing her to the ground at high speeds.

However, Boa Hancock's trained legs were more than enough to absorb the impact like a spring and then jump directly at the falling blond, loading her right tornado kick.

The boy chuckled as he jumped on air again, letting the woman sail right below him, flipping in the air and ending with a right tornado kick to the air that made the Kuja question if he was seeing right. However, their doubts were completely erased as a blue blade was created at the end of the kick.

"RANKYAKU!"

"BOA-SAMA, BEHIND YOU!"- one of the Kuja screeched.

The Empress turned around, but it was too late. She managed to land, but the small wind blade immediately connected with her raised fists, exploding on contact.

The Kuja shouted screams of anger and worry as the cloud of smoke offuscated their sight, not letting them check if their leader was still alive.

Naruto landed, immediately falling on his left knee, taking deep breaths. He had used not one, not two, but three Rokushiki techniques in a quick succession, without a pause, and two of them he hadn't even mastered yet.

Needless to say, he just wanted to go to sleep.

Meanwhile, the smoke cloud dissipated to show a roughed up, yet unharmed Boa Hancock kneeling and looking at him. She had a weird expression on her face that she tried to hide.

"You're not hurt. Of course, of course you're not hurt. You're a Shichibukai, what was I thinking?"

"I'm the Empress of the Kuja for a reason, and I'm going to show you that now!"- she formed her right hand into a pistol, pointing with her index finger.

"Mero mero no Pistol Kiss!"- she blew a kiss that morphed into a heart-pointed arrow which she shot with her index finger.

"I don't think you've got it."- Naruto commented as the arrow flew, directed to his heart. However, when it struck, it broke into two and fell to the floor. Hancock narrowed her eyes and shot another, and another, and soon enough she was barraging him with the heart-shaped arrows, but all met the same fate. All broke and fell.

"I take it you're using Haki, right? Well, you need to improve your usage. Not that it matters. I'll have you know that I've become indestructible."- Naruto assured her. She narrowed her eyes.

"When both of my mentors said I was going to be fighting people way stronger than you in the future, people that could kill any of my friends with a single wave of a hand, I figured, I needed a lot of tricks up my sleeve to prevent that from happening. This is just one of them."

The air around him shifted again as he stood up. The Kuja seemed curious, and the Empress herself had a strange facial expression as he jumped and flipped in the air.

He landed with his legs spread wide apart. A single chainsaw chainblade went down the middle of all of both of his legs' length.

He rose his left leg in a Muay Thai stance, and his left leg's chain started spinning. He created a bar of metal out of thin air and kicked it with his left leg, effortlessly slicing it in half as a warning.

"So you're finally going all-out?"- the Empress asked. Naruto calmed his breathing and gave her a grin.

"You wanted it. Here I come."

The Empress couldn't believe it as Naruto's chainsaw blades spun, propelling him forward. He looked like a completely different person. His facial expression was maniacal, as if all he wanted at that moment was to see blood.

She wasn't sure what to think of it, but ultimately decided she liked it. Any great leader needed a dark, vicious side.

He jumped in the air, trying to give her a flying roundhouse to the neck, which she ducked under, giving a straight punch up, but he wasn't there anymore.

"SORU: MARUNOKO (Shave: Circular Saw)"- he proclaimed as his body spun like a buzzsaw through the air, away. He looked like a small flying saucer before landing on all-fours.

"SORU: GYAROPPU (Shave: Gallop)"- followed as he vanished, appearing in several different places as he galloped like a horse, heading for the Empress.

Boa Hancock had a hard time fighting him as he reached her. She couldn't touch him since his chainsaw blades kept threatening her beautiful skin, and couldn't block for the same reason. He was using a leg-only martial art, maximizing his power's effectiveness.

She had to admit, he was good. The ever increasing number of small cuts on her arms and legs were proof of it, since no one had ever even gotten close to harm her before. But it was time to end it.

She ducked under another kick, trapped his left leg between her arm and side, lifted him up and slammed him into the ground, stomping his chest and keeping him in place with her left foot.

"Your only mistake was getting rid of your tank top. My high heels have Sea-Stone in them, which, as you know, weakens and cancels the powers of Devil Fruit users. Now, it's over."- she rose both her hands and made a heart shape with them, pointing it directly at Naruto's forehead.

"Mero Mero no Mellow!"- a pink beam came out of her heart shape, connecting with Naruto's cranium as the Kuja all shouted in glee. Their leader, although hurt, remained undefeated.

But nothing happened. Naruto stared at Boa Hancock curiously.

"Mero Mero no Mellow!"- she repeated, shooting yet another beam that definitely connected with the blond, but the result was the same. She tried and tried again but nothing happened.

"The Gorgon man is immune to the Empress's charm!"- one of the Kuja suggested. Hancock shook her head.

"NO! NO ONE CAN RESIST MY CHARM. I AM THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BEING ON EARTH."- she contested.

"Mero Mero no mi, right? It gives you the power to turn anyone who has lustfilled thoughts into stone, correct? I read about it somewhere. It doesn't work on me."

"Shut up! Of course it works! You're a man! And like all men, you're a pig! I'm just not using it right!"- she said, but deep down, she knew she was wrong. The fruit was being used the way it should, there was another reason as to why it didn't work.

"I've said this and I'll say it again, generalizing is stupid and wrong, and you're none of those. I do have lustfull feelings towards you. It's hard not to when you're not wearing underwear and standing right above me wearing a dress. But that's not what matters. I consider you as a person, not as some sexual object."- he managed to sit up, still looking her in the eye and taking her left hand.

"DO YOU NOT WANT TO HAVE YOUR WAY WITH ME?"

"You can have your Kairoseki-covered high heels striking me right now, but it does not change that I'm an Iron human. Everything about me is Iron. My will is too. I came here to make myself stronger, not to see the beautiful women. And that is why your Mero Mero no Mi doesn't work. My goals are to divide and conquer. To draw out blood, to harm and destroy. Not to love. I'm sorry."

He stood up as her face turned to one of pure shock. He had rejected her. Someone, a man, had rejected her. It was outrageous! She'd have him executed! But at the same time, she felt something else. Was it appreciation? Was it enthusiasm? Was it...passion?

That was it! It was passion! She was in love! She was in love with the man that just a few seconds ago was trying to cut her up into ribbons.

"None-the-less, I accept defeat. You'd have won anyway. Thank you for the magnificent spar. I've learned so much and-"

He did not have the chance to finish his sentence as she pulled him into a deep kiss. Her lips were moist, soft and tasted like cherry. As she kissed him, he felt something strange. As if he could accomplish anything. As if he was a God amongst men!

They cut off the kiss a few seconds later, both blushing, though Hancock more than Naruto. He was dumbfounded. And then he remembered that the Kuja were still there. They were all silent, every single one of their faces stuck in stupid shock.

It struck him. He had kissed a Shichibukai, one of the most powerful people in the world. A Kuja Empress no less and a woman that all men would kill for. And there was no doubt someone was going to try. What a big fat mess!

One of the Kuja's traditions were that as soon as they had kissed a man, a bond was made. A vow was created, and it was as strong as marriage. They were pretty much engaged. Naruto blinked as he realized just what he had done when he kissed her back.

_Oh boy..._

(And that was chapter 3, my friends. I hope you all enjoy it as it took me a long time to write it. More chapters will come soon, following the Shichibukai Examination Small Arc, and I promise you'll get to know more about Boa Hancock and Naruto's relationship. If you are still wondering just what the hell was that Chainsaw Blade thing, just google image Giriko. After just a bit of scrolling, you'll get what I mean. Anyway, as always Favorite/Follow and subscribe and if you have any doubts or questions, just PM or Review. Thank you and see you next time!)


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"What have you done!?"- a certain blond asked. He was both infuriated and terrifed about the different scenarios of death that his brain supplied him with each breathing second. Something only added to that was the way Boa Hancock sat on a chair in teh same room, both legs and arms crossed and a satisfied, content expression on her face.

"What do you mean? I kissed you. What's wrong with that?"- she replied, faking innocence, but Naruto was not buying it.

"You know damn well that in your tribe, a kiss means marriage. Don't play innocent."- he answered, glaring at her. She became so happy she positively glowed.

"That's one of the reasons I fell in love with you. You don't let me get away with anything despite my beauty."

"We met today! How in hell did you fall in love with me in one day?"

"Not one day. You underestimate yourself too much, dear."- her response brought curiosity to the blond's face. He was wearing the white hooded jacket, covering his head again, though he had not found the tank top, which had probably exploded with the Rankyaku.

"Oh, you didn't know? All eyes are on you. The last edition of each international newspaper was all about the fourteen year old blond boy who just happened to be Garp's grandson becoming a Marine. What, you think someone shows up literally out of nowhere into this world and no one cares? You've been making enemies and allies without even knowing for a while now."

Naruto was dumbfounded. He had totally overlooked the fact that his fame was eventually going to spread. Boa chuckled, amused.

"Besides, I don't see reasons for complaining. You received a kiss and a marriage proposal from the most beautiful woman on Earth. You should be happy."

"You seem to forget that everybody thinks that way. Every damn male pirate in the world loves you. Hell, every Marine too! To worsen that fact, most will take it personally that a fourteen year old got Boa Hancock's first kiss, yet they didn't. For many reasons, that small act has painted a giant target on my back!"

The Empress's eyes blinked rapidly as she realized the truth in his words. Her mouth opened and Naruto could never have prepared himself for what was coming.

Boa Hancock, one of the Shichibukai and the Empress of the Kuja just threw herself on her knees, kissing Naruto's sneakers, whimpering and crying and begging.

"I'M SO SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO PUT YOU IN DANGER! YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU! I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING, I'M SO SO SORRY! WILL YOU EVER BE ABLE TO FORGIVE ME! PLEASE!"

The next five minutes were filled with the Empress's cries for forgiveness and Naruto's embarrassed ways to try and calm her down. Ultimately, a lightbulb appeared over her head.

"I've got it. I know how to redeem myself! I'll make you proud of me, Naruto-love!"- she raced out of the room, with Naruto hot on her heels. _Oh God what is she thinking of now?_

The Kuja were all still in front of the Palace, all eager for news about the Marine's and the Empress' now sacred bond. Boa was already in front of them, ready to make a speech. Naruto rose an eyebrow, but decided not to interfere.

"Today I've made some of the best decisions in my life, but also some of the worse. When I heard Monkey D. Naruto, the fourteen year old Marine, was going to be the one checking up on my Shichibukai status, I immediately had the idea to let him in Amazon Lily."- she started, grasping the attention of all of the women. She wasn't the Empress for nothing.

"I broke a few of our rules, and I am happy to say I don't regret it. This boy has made me see and feel things I haven't felt ever since I was a child and became a Gorgon, together with my sisters. He made me realize that not all men are pigs, and that it is not one's gender, age or race that defines them, but rather what they do with life. But of course, words alone are not enough to convince me."

"I wanted to see how apt he really was, and so accepted his challenge. He has proved to me that he is a more than capable fighter. I am sure that if it was a real fight, I would not be breathing right now."- that confession shocked a few of the Kuja. Boa Hancock admitting she was weaker than someone? When would the lunacy end?

"I chose him for husband. I chose him for the man who would provide the Kuja with a capable, strong, BEAUTIFUL heir. But at the same time, I exposed him to the world. When others catch wind of this, and they will because they always do, my love will have Millions of enemies."

"Millions of enemies that will stop at nothing to see him dead. I know he's going to become a strong warlord, but I also know that nobody survives alone. So, I have decided to join him! I will leave Amazon Lily for some time, defend my lover and produce a heir before coming back. That is my decision!"

Naruto's jaw dropped with such force he swore he could feel it hit the floor. The same happened to all of the Kuja ladies. Never had they even thought that their Empress would care for a man, much less that she'd run away for one!

"But what of Amazon Lily? What of the Kuja Pirates? Lady, please answer!"- Aphelandra asked, easily noticed amongst the crowd. Boa Hancock pointed at her sisters, who were at the front of the crowd.

"My sisters, Boa Sandersonia and Boa Marigold will take my place until I return. They will run both Amazon Lily and be the Captains for the Amazon Lily Pirates. Understood?"

"Y-yes lady."- all of the beautiful women responded in unison. Tears fell down from the Empress' face, but she was smiling.

"I am sorry that I have to leave you, my people for so long, but I promise I will return and that I'm also doing this for your sake. If there's someone who can provide us with a future Empress that surpasses me both in strength and beauty, it's Naruto-kun. And even though I'm sad that I'm leaving you, I'm happy that I am joining him. Good luck to you all!"

"Good luck, Boa-sama!"- was their response as they cheered Naruto and Hancock out. The blond couldn't believe his ears as they walked through the crowd. Boa Hancock had turned his whole life into a mess, got him married, joined him and even had her leave cheered on by her own people, all in one day. Chills went through his spine. _What a scary woman._

They reached the end of the city and were about to exit when one of the women stepped forward. Naruto recognized her as Marguerite, one of the women who escorted him through the forest.

"Marguerite, what are you doing?"- Boa asked, earning a bow from the blond woman.

"I'm sorry for the bother, Boa-sama, but there is something I'd like to ask from Naruto-sama."- she said as Naruto rubbed his eyes. He seemed to have a headache.

"Please, for God's sake, don't start calling me sama just because we're married. Just call me Naruto. What is it?"- he replied, making Marguerite grin.

"Sure, Naruto-sama. I'd like to join your crew."

"What? Why?"- both Hancock and Naruto asked. Marguerite blushed and tried to hide her embarrassment, but eventually just dealt with it.

"Ever since I escorted you from over the beach to Amazon Lily's city, I've been having this warm feeling inside me. Not warm like when I'm wearing furred clothes, or when I look at Boa-sama, but a different kind of warm. And I want to keep feeling it. Please, I swear I'll follow you to the end of the world."- the blond woman explained. Naruto sighed and shrugged before turning around.

"Sure, you may join us. But with all of the shit that has been created in one single day, I can predict you're going to have to fulfill your promise real soon."- were his last words for a while as the trip back begun. Along the way, Marguerite looked like she had something to say, but did not open her mouth until they were almost by the beach.

"Naruto-sama, what we saw by the beach today was your only boat, right?"- she asked, receiving a nod from the Marine.

"I don't think all of us fit in there."

Light suddenly came to Naruto's mind as he realized that simple fact. But no one could really blame him, with everything that was going on.

"You're right, but I don't have any other vessel to get away."- he confessed. The blond Kuja smirked and gestured for them to follow her.

After a few minutes of walking, they came across a hidden beach, where a medium-sized ship rested. It had a single, large, triangular sail on its left side, purple patterns on it. The whole ship was a bit dark, but still light enough to be disregarded as normal. It looked eerie, to be precise.

"A few months ago, Aphelandra and I were patrolling the shore when we came across this. Three wannabe pirates talking about how they were going to have their way with every Kuja "bitch" and their Queen "Whore". Aphelandra wanted to destroy them with brute strength, but I decided that a more painful doom would be better."- she reported. The ship looked in a decent state, but there were three skeletons tied around a rock.

"I used the Haki that Boa-sama taught me, and my arrow pierced the three of them in one shot, taking a rope with it. I tied the three crying and begging men around the rock and left them there to be picked at by the seagulls. They didn't end up well, but the ship is intact. What do you say, Boss?"

"Well, it seems perfect for now, thank you. Light, fast, not really made for all out battles but we can change that. Anyway, we should set sail right away, I have to deal with Gekko Moriah tomorrow."

"G-Gekko Moriah?"- Hancock asked as Naruto and Marguerite pushed the ship off of the shore and got on it.

"Yeah, what's wrong? Is he that strong?"

"No! He's just really ugly. Like, really."

Naruto facepalmed as Marguerite giggled and helped Boa onto the ship, readying himself for the trip. He took a deep breath and focused. Around his two outstretched hands, a big object started forming.

"Gizo: Tabin o. (Forge: Turbine)"- the Empress and the Kuja woman watched with curiosity as the clump of metal shaped itself into a Turbine, which spun at very high speeds by it's own.

"Gizo: Niju Tabin o. (Forge: Double Turbine.)"- he pulled both hands away from each other, and the turbine split in half, each of the halves formed around a different hand. After a couple of seconds, more metal came to life and completed the two parts, creating two turbines.

He lowered his hands as he went to the back of the ship, peeking down at the stern. He sat by the back, his legs hanging over the sea.

"Ready yourselves."

With a single grasp from each hand, both of the machines went at full speed, making them nearly fly over the waves. Marguerite was grasping the mast, trying not to fall off while Boa was crouching slightly. Both had surprised looks on their faces.

"N-Naruto-sama's full of surprises."- the blond woman commented.

"That's why he's MY husband."- the former Empress replied, getting a glare from Marguerite. They started a little stupid argument that Naruto just ignored. He had managed to stick the report Smoker had sent him between the two turbines, and was currently going over it.

"Gekko Moriah, one of the Shichibukai, though considered the weakest..."- he read out loud, and the hours started to pass.

…...

**The Next Day**

They arrived at the ship that the dark, zombie-creating Shichibukai called home. Thriller Bark. The place seemed gloomy, to say the least.

The gigantic ship was made of two sections. The first was a big, outward wall with a giant gate that looked like a mouth, which opened and closed as they entered.

The second section was the island in the middle, which had an old, broken stone wall, a dead forest and a mansion in the center. Four separate chains connected the wall to the island's mast.

The entire place had a gothic scenery, that was only betrayed by its dark flag and Thriller Bark signs everywhere.

Naruto only needed to click his fingers to have the turbines stop working, before throwing the anchor. The ship came to a stop minutes later.

It was close enough for Naruto to simply turn the ship and be right by the old wall's gate. With a quick snap of the fingers, Naruto created a metal set of steps attached both to the ship and to the main island by crouching and placing his hands on the ship's edge, allowing them to step over.

"Welcome to Thriller Bark."- a voice greeted, coming from behind.

They turned around to see a large, round, ugly creature sitting on their ship. The man's shadow flickered for a moment before turning into a mist of bats that flew over to them, conjoining into a shadow again. A blink of an eye later, Gekko stood in its place.

"My name is Gekko Moriah, one of the Shichibukai, and I'm here to guide you around my "humble" home. I'd guess you're the promising Monkey D. Naruto, accompanied by the beautiful Boa Hancock and a lovely Kuja warrior."- the man spoke, shaking a suspicious Naruto's hand.

"You don't seem surprised."- the blond replied, receiving an amused chuckle from the other.

"News travel fast, I'm afraid. Shall we begin?"

Naruto kept his right eyebrow raised as he took a regular Den-Den Mushi from his short's right pocket, pointing to Boa and Marguerite.

"You two go ahead, there's something I have to check."- he spoke, earning a nod from Gekko and suspicious looks from the two women, before they walked away.

The blond Marine dialed a number, almost immediately hearing a rough voice.

"Yeah, who is it?"

"Commodore Smoker, it's Chief Petty Officer Naruto."

"You've got good timing, kid. I was just about to call you. Would you mind telling me just what the FUCK is going on? Lucci is chewing my ass off with questions and I bet it'll be a matter of minutes before Garp catches wind of this and follows his example!"

Naruto gulped as he heard his grandfather's name. _I am so getting cannoned for this._

"Don't ask me, I'm still wondering about it myself. I get to Amazon Lily, check on everything, chat with Boa Hancock, challenge her to a spar. After a bit of a struggle, she uses the Mero Mero no Mi's powers on me, it fails and has no effect, she falls in love, kisses me, now we're married and she wants me to provide her with a heir! One of her warriors also joined up, saying she feels warm around me. Now I've got a ship, a start of a crew, a wife, a girlfriend, a fuckton of enemies, am standing in Gekko Moriah's island and I don't know what the fuck is going on or how to deal with it!"

Apparently, the mushi was on high volume, because a shriek came from the other side and the poor animal was quickly grasped by someone.

"So it is true! Naruto, when you get here, I am going to make egg salad out of your balls!"- Tashigi's voice threatened before sounds of struggle came to life, and Smoker clicked back in.

"Alright, here's what you do. Finish the mission in the given date, try not to get any other girls by shutting that fucking chick magnet of yours off, and hope to God that Rob Lucci and Monkey D. Garp will find it in their hearts to forgive you. Good luck kid, because even I haven't been fucked over this badly."

"Thanks, I'll need it."- a click announced that the call was over and Naruto sighed. The news had spread, and surely, the Empress's fanboys would have placed a bounty on his head.

_Fuck me._

…...

When he finally caught up with the other two, they were already inside the mansion. It was a creepy place. All of the decoration and mood pointed towards a gothic scenery, as if Gekko's biggest dream was to become Count Dracula.

But aside that, nothing was suspicious. Of course, Naruto had read the terms in the contract for Gekko's Shichibukai status, where it was clearly stated that the latter was authorized to produce zombies in his island, so he couldn't consider the many undead-looking creatures as infractions.

Everything was pretty much normal and within limits.

As he approached, he noticed Gekko was accompanied by two men and a woman. He was round, much more so than Gekko, which contrasted with his extremely thin limbs. His nose was like a beak, and both his ears and teeth were sharp, only giving him a more "monster"-like appearance. It smiled at Naruto and looked at him as if he was a curiosity.

The second man, who wore rich clothes was not behind the first in terms of strangeness. He had the muzzle of a lion replacing his nose, mouth and chin, and something told Naruto that wasn't the only part of his body which was modified. The man didn't seem to notice his arrival, as he could not take his eyes off from Boa Hancock.

The third and final unknown person, the woman, had big, round eyes and long, pink hair. Her outfit was rather Lolita Gothic-like, with the predominant colours being pink, white and black. Naruto couldn't help himself but to contemplate her. She was pretty.

"Oh, it seems the main guest has arrived. I assume you've been taking mental notes along the way towards my home. Is everything under legal limits?"- Gekko greeted him. Naruto shrugged.

"Everything's great. But please do have your lion-man stop drooling over my wife, or I am going to act upon it."

The man growled at Naruto, but Gekko quickly silenced him with one look before turning back to Naruto, with a polite smile on his face.

"Please forgive Absalom, he seems to forget his place quite often. The other gentleman is Dr. Hogback and the beautiful lady is Perona."- Naruto shook both hands, taking care to cover his in steel when Absalom tried to crush it, and kissed the girl's. Again, he had no idea why he did it, but it just felt right. And it did earn him a blush.

"Anyway, are you done with your check-up?"

The blond Marine took one last look around the small atrium they were currently in before turning back to Gekko and nodding.

"But there is one last thing."

"Yes?"

"I've been ordered to challenge you for a spar. One-on-one, and it ends when one of us is dead, near-dead or unconscious. What do you say?"

The trio, Absalom, Hogback and Perona looked at him like he was insane, while Gekko gave him an amused look.

"To fight a fourteen year old Marine, I can't believe how low I've sunk, but sure. Give me all you've got. Absalom, Hogback, Perona, stay back and don't you dare interfere!"

The trio reluctantly aggred as they walked to a corner of the atrium. Hancock and Marguerite followed their actions, waiting on the opposite side.

"I'm ready."- Gekko announced. Naruto nodded as he took his jacket off, staying in white sneakers and trim-line-furred shorts, displaying his well worked abs and letting his hair free. Absalom groaned with envy as Perona squealed with delight. _He's so cuuute!_

"I'm ready as well. Rankyaku!"- Naruto swung his right leg up, let it fall and jumped with a spinning left kick, creating a plus sign with two Rankyaku techniques, which went flying at Gekko.

The Shichibukai chuckled.

"Doppelman."

His shadow grew into a perfect clone of himself, though it was completely dark.

The figure blocked Rankyaku, which pushed it a few inches back before it was able to redirect it up, causing an explosion as the attack sliced a plus sign into the ceiling.

Naruto whistled, contemplating the scene before crouching.

"So that's the Kage Kage no Mi's power, right? Manipulate shadows. Including your own, correct?"

"Precisely. I don't even need to fight. My subordinates will do it for me. That's a life lesson, right there. Why work for your dreams, when others can do so for you?"

Naruto gave off a noise from his mouth, as if expressing disappointment, confusing Moriah. He got up from his crouched position and focused.

"Soru."

He vanished from sight as he kicked off the ground 10 times in a blink of an eye, making Gekko and his three followers gasp in surprise as Naruto appeared in front of him.

"Gizo: Bai-ryoku Tabin o (Forge: Boost Turbine.)"- a small turbine appeared on his elbow as he readied a punch. With one thought, the turbine sprung to life, making his fist fly at the speed of a racing car directly into the Shichibukai's face, sending him flying into a wall.

A loud crash was heard as the big pirate met the concrete barrier, significantly damaging it and falling to the floor.

"Ugh..."- was all he could mutter. Naruto had taken out a cigarette and was smoking it by then. He had taken a liking to the things right after Lucci had started his training. They helped relieve stress.

"You need to understand that your subordinates won't do everything for you. When the time comes, when the money's on the table, when you're between the wall and a sword and your whole crew is being held under arrest, no one will help you. Not even your own shadow."- he spoke. Gekko got up, bleeding from his mouth, giving him an angry look.

"Shut up! You know nothing of this world, kid! Brick Bat!"- as he replied, Doppelman dissolved into a bunch of winged, faced, spike-toothed little creatures that flew in a flock directly at Naruto, ready to start their meal.

The blond sighed. He threw the cigarette up into the air and kicked it into one bat, burning its face and turning the damned thing into an ink-like substance.

The others, though, did not hesitate even after seeing one of them get destroyed with such ease. Naruto jumped up, kicking three with a seven hundred and twenty degrees-kick, but there were still at least twenty left, which quickly circled him, taking bites at his hardened skin, not leaving even a mark.

"This is getting annoying. Suchīrutsurī: Karamatsu(Steel Tree: Larch. Reference to Kimimaro from Naruto. Many of Naruto's attacks will also come from him.)"- curved steel thorns came out of his skin, quickly piercing all of the creatures before returning to his body. Gekko and his three subordinates couldn't believe their eyes.

"I can't believe this is all you have. Perhaps they were right, you're too weak to stay as one of the Shichibukai. Soru."

"Kage Musha!"

As Naruto appeared by the Shichibukai, the man was suddenly gone, and in his place, Doppelman stood. Gekko himself was right by Perona, Hogback and Absalom's side.

"Tsuno Tokage!"- Doppelman turned into a shadow blade which immediately tried to pierce Naruto's body. The latter was surprised, and only had one resource to save himself in time. _Here goes nothing._

"Kami-e."- as he pronounced these words, his body went limp, and just the air that the Shadow Blade shifted was enough to push him to the side, avoiding the hit.

Naruto quickly solidified back, and took advantage of the rotation to send a spinning right kick through the air.

"Rankyaku."

This time, he had reacted too quickly, and the blue blade of light went flying into Gekko. His shadow was still in a blade's form, which meant he couldn't switch.

The man ducked, followed by his three subordinates, letting the air blade pass and cut through the walls. The impact was enough to knock Moriah on his behind. Naruto contemplated him while taking another drag out of his cigarette. Apparently, he had gotten it back while using Soru.

"Definitely too weak to stay in the Seven Warlords. I now understand how you lost to Kaido in the New World. Relying on subordinates and zombies just won't do in a one-on-one fight. The lost of your crew is proof of that. Such a weak person should not be the captain of a crew. It's irresponsible."- was the blond's comment. Gekko's eyes narrowed until they were nearly pupilless. Absalom and Hogback took cautionary steps back, but Perona committed a mistake and came in closer.

"DON'T YOU TALK ABOUT MY CREW LIKE THAT YOU BRAT! I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU ALL!"

"Don't listen to him, Gekko-sama! You're strong! Just tell the zombies to come in!"- Perona said, hugging him tight as he pulled a pair of giant scissors from his back and broke into a pair of swords. Doppelman came out of nowhere and struck Perona, sending her flying away, shrieking.

"GET OFF OF ME, BITCH! BRICK BAT!"

Doppelman dissolved into a horde of bats that flew after the falling pink-haired girl. Naruto appeared out of nowhere, clutching Perona into a princess-style carry before turning around, iron poking out of his back.

"Suchīrutsurī: Karamatsu"

The iron thorns came out of his back again, piercing all of the mini creatures and effectively killing them before he fell to the ground, still holding the Ghost Princess. The bats went back to Gekko and formed back into his shadow. It seemed as if he had decided to take matters into his own hands as he ran towards them. Naruto's face was covered by darkness as he spun mid-air, chainsaw blades appearing in his legs.

"Gizo: Chenso o (Forge: Chainsaw)."

He made the blades spin as fast as possible, creating a quite threatening pair of roller skates, and dashing for Gekko Moriah.

"TSUNO TOKAGE!"

The shadow turned into a blade yet again. Naruto threw Perona around, having her hold onto his neck in a piggyback position.

"Hold tight!"

He jumped over the blade, and the rest was a blur.

All he knew was that seconds later, Perona was still holding onto him tightly, Absalom and Hogback had their chins dropped, Boa Hancock and Marguerite had smirks on their faces, and Gekko Moriah was on his knees, a cross-shaped trail of blood noticeable on his torso as he screamed in agony before falling forward, unable to get up.

(Chapter 4 for all of you readers. I hope you enjoyed this one. I know, the ending may raise questions, but Pms, Reviews and the next chapter can be used to answer them. As always, Favorite/Follow and Review if you like this story. Also, I wanted to thank Zaralann and .5 for giving me many great ideas for this story and generally helping out with it. See ya!)


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